It's almost as popular in Texas. Last year, 386 girls were named Nevaeh (commonly pronounced nah-VAY-uh), according to the Social Security Administration. That was enough to earn it the 79th spot on the state list, overtaking Megan (82nd), Melissa (84th) and Amanda (87th).

"Of course, we've got no problem with direct biblical names" such as Joshua and Matthew, Henderson says. "If someone wanted to name their child Nevaeh or Heaven, I don't know anything in our religion that would (consider it) sacrilege."

But parents shouldn't pick the name to curry favor from God, hoping the child will be lucky or rich, Henderson warns.

"We want to see signs of belief reflected through culture," he adds. If selecting the name Nevaeh is "pulling them toward faith ... to be active in the spiritual life, then good."

Nevaeh was Stewart's fourth pregnancy, and it was a difficult one that required six hospitalizations. A friend of her mother's suggested the name.

"I know she wanted her son to name one of his triplets (Nevaeh, but) he didn't," Stewart says. "From the day that she told me, that was her (name)."

Stewart, a labor and delivery nurse at Memorial Hermann Hospital, and husband Eric Johnson, a truck driver, named their three other daughters Lashunacie, Erica and Ariya. Driven by her family's ordinary first names — sister Jennifer, brother Michael and mother Debra — Stewart sought more unusual ones for her daughters. (Guess who named Erica.)

Nevaeh isn't strictly a girl's name. About five years ago, guitarist Thomas Hill saw Sonny Sandoval and his Christian rock band, P.O.D., perform live. During the concert, Sandoval spoke of his daughter, Nevaeh.

"Actually, I wasn't that hot on (the name)," recalls Hill, 25. But the four other musicians in his Amarillo rock band were, so that's what they called their group.

All the band members are Christian, Hill says, but the music itself is not "praise and worship." Nevaeh tours nationwide with both mainstream and Christian acts and will be in Houston on July 10 at Walter's on Washington.

Come August, though, they'll cease being Nevaeh and become Hero.

Why? Hill says at half the towns they visit, the venues misspell their name, putting the "e" before "a."

"I don't have a problem with the name itself at all," Hill says. But "if somebody can't spell it, then it's kind of tough to market it."

The name is just "weird," says Bruce Lansky, author of multiple name books including 100,000+ Baby Names (Meadowbrook Press, $12.95). "It is just about the most ungainly name ... It's hard to spell. It's hard to pronounce."

Lansky is surprised by the popularity, but expects it will continue. Other names with religious significance, such as Grace, are rising in the ranks, too.

"There are millions of religious Americans looking for a way to reflect their spirituality in names they give their children," Lansky says.

But if religion is the motivator, why not just Heaven, he asks, because "99 percent of people will say, 'Ne-what?' "

It's not clear why the name is so popular for girls, not boys, but Sandoval's use of it for his daughter may be one reason.

"It just gathered force," Lansky says. "These are things that you just can't stop."